Gaming machine checking color of symbol on reel

Abstract

In a gaming machine according to the present invention, a reel assembly includes a lighting unit, a lighting driver unit, and a color check unit, as well as a reel and a motor. The lighting unit emits colored rays to a symbol displayed on a visible region on a reel. The lighting driver unit adjusts driving currents for the lighting unit in accordance with a control signal. The color check unit generates an error signal when detecting that the level of any driving current falls outside a predetermined range. A game control unit conducts a game by randomly changing arrangements and colors of the visible symbols. A lighting control unit provides the control signal to the lighting driver unit. If receiving the error signal from the color check unit, the lighting control unit informs the game control unit of an error state of the lighting unit.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a gaming machine, and in particular a machine comprising mechanical reels like a reel slot machine.[0003]2. Background Information[0004]Gaming machines such as slot machines, poker machines, fruit machines, and the like generally attract enormous popularity from players in casinos. These types of gaming machines display an arrangement of symbols on the front thereof, and change the types of symbols in the arrangement at random. A player guesses on which line of the arrangement (i.e. payline) a specific combination of symbols (i.e. winning combination) will appear, and places a bet on the payline before the symbols are changed in the arrangement. If a winning combination appears on the payline on which the player has placed a bet, the player will win an amount of a payout that depends on the amount of the bet and the type of the winning combination.[0005]These types of gaming machines are...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]Each of the reel assemblies comprises a motor, a reel, a lighting unit, a lighting driver unit, and a color check unit. The motor includes a shaft. The reel is a mechanical reel configured to be rotatably coupled to the shaft. A series of symbols is displayed on the circumferential surface of the reel. The lighting unit is configured to emit two or more types of colored rays of light in response to driving currents, and illuminate a predetermined region of the circumferential surface of the reel by using the colored rays. The lighting unit preferably comprises at least two red, green, and blue light emitting diodes (LEDs). A single symbol is preferably placed in the predetermined region on each stopped reel, and thereby illuminated with the colored rays. The lighting driver unit is configured to provide the lighting unit with the driving currents in accordance with a control signal received from the exterior thereof. The driving currents adjusted by the lighting driver unit change the intensity of the colored rays emitted from the lighting unit, and thereby determine the color or pattern of the symbol illuminated in the above region on each stopped reel. The color check unit is configured to monitor the levels of the driving currents. Here, the desired levels of the driving currents are predetermined from the desired colors or patterns of the illuminated symbols. Accordingly, the driving currents maintained at the desired levels represent the consistency between the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols and the desired ones. In view of this, the color check unit is further configured to generate an error signal when detecting that one of the levels of the driving currents falls outside a predetermined range. This enables the gaming machine to immediately detect the inconsistency between the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols and the desired ones.

[0012]The color check unit preferably comprises a current detector unit, a comparator unit, and an error notification unit. The current detector unit is configured to check whether or not the levels of the driving currents fall within their respective, predetermined ranges. The comparator unit is configured to check whether or not consistency is maintained between the control signal and the output of the current detector unit. The error notification unit is configured to generate the error signal when the output of the comparator unit indicates inconsistency between the control signal and the output of the current detector unit. The control signal generally indicates the desired levels of the driving currents during a predetermined interval. If the current detector unit detects that a driving current has excessively deviated from its desired level in the predetermined interval in a manner inconsistent with the control signal, the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols are undoubtedly inconsistent with the desired ones. Thus, the color check unit can detect the inconsistency in colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols with high reliability.

[0013]The game control unit is configured to conduct a game by using an arrangement of the symbols displayed on a visible region of the circumferential surfaces of the reels. The reel control unit is configured to command the motor to spin the reel and stop the reel at a predetermined position under control of the game control unit. The lighting control unit is configured to provide the lighting driver unit with the control signal under control of the game control unit. In particular, the lighting control unit controls the lighting driver unit to illuminate symbols placed on the visible region on each stopped reel with the desired colors / patterns. Here, the desired colors / patterns of illumination are preferably predetermined from the symbol types selected by the game control unit as symbols to be displayed on the visible region on each stopped reel. The lighting control unit can check the consistency between the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols and the desired ones through the error signal. If receiving the error signal from the color check unit, the lighting control unit preferably informs the game control unit of an error in the lighting unit. The game control unit will then take appropriate steps to inform the player and an attendant of the error, e.g., it will cause the reel control unit to continuously revolve the reels in order not to stop them at any position. Thus, the gaming machine immediately detects the inconsistency between the types of symbols and the colors or patterns of illumination, and thereby ensures exact consistency therebetween during the normal condition.

[0014]The lighting driver unit is preferably configured to control the intensity of the colored rays by pulse modulation of the driving currents. More preferably, the lighting driver unit comprises a switching device configured to conduct or cut off the driving current, and the lighting driver unit is configured to turn on or off the switching device in response to the control signal. In that case, the color check unit is preferably configured to monitor the pulse levels of the driving currents. The desired pulse shapes of the driving currents, in particular the desired activation timing thereof, are predetermined by the desired colors or patterns of the illuminated symbols. Accordingly, the color check unit can immediately detect the inconsistency between the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols and the desired ones from the detection that the pulse level of the driving current falls outside the predetermined range.

Problems solved by technology

If the current detector unit detects that a driving current has excessively deviated from its desired level in the predetermined interval in a manner inconsistent with the control signal, the actual colors / patterns of the illuminated symbols are undoubtedly inconsistent with the desired ones.

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